Tyrone Spong and Remy Bonjasky collide at Glory 5

Glory 5 will be held at the Excel Arena in London, England on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013. It boasts a historic first meeting which will headline the biggest kickboxing card to ever be staged in the UK.

Heavyweights Remy “The Flying Gentleman” Bonjasky (77-14, 40 KO’s) and Tyrone “King of the Ring” Spong (68-6-1, 42 KO’s) are set to face off in the main event of Glory 5.

Fans of kickboxing know Bojansky, but this will be the first opportunity UK fans will have a chance to see him fight live. This amazing athlete was forced to retire for three years due to an issue with his eye.

However, having undergone surgery, he is ready to step back into the ring and deliver a barrage of his famous flying knees and kicks, which helped to cinch him three Grand Prix tournament victories in the old K-1 fight series.

His victorious return to the fight scene happened on October 6 at Glory 2 in Brussels where he won by decision against number one ranked Anderson “Braddock” Silva. He proved he was still a contender and that his skills were not lacking through an impressive display of reflex and superior conditioning.

Spong is recently relocated from Amsterdam to Boca Raton, Florida so he could train with the “Blackzilians.” His career began in the middleweight class where he was noted for his speed and fluidity. He lost neither as he moved up in classes to reach the heavyweight tier.

Spong’s explosive stopping power with his hands have contributed to nearly two-thirds of his wins. His last victim, occurring in June 2012, was reigning champion of the world championship kickboxing league It’s Showtime, Peter Aerts.

“This is a dream fight that kickboxing fans around the world have been wanting to see for some time. Bonjasky is one of the sport’s all-time greats and anybody who watched him fight in Brussels could see immediately that he was as sharp as ever. He had the same dynamic fighting style that earned him tremendous success and acclaim in the sport before he went on hiatus three years ago,” said GLORY Managing Director Marcus Luer.

“As for Spong, his speed and technicality are just amazing. He is unbelievably agile for a heavyweight and he makes fighting look like ballet. He also has plenty of power and a real killer instinct, which we saw in his win over Peter Aerts earlier this year. Bonjasky and Spong are two of the most natural athletes the sport of kickboxing has ever seen. They are going to thrill the London fight fans in February.”

GLORY Chairman Pierre Andurand remarked, “I live in London and I am very proud to be bringing these two world-class fighters to the British capital. Bonjasky and Spong are at the top of their games right now and the winner will take a step closer to a shot at the GLORY heavyweight title.”

Watson and Harrison will both be fighting out of the Bad Company gym in Leeds, England. Both men have solid reputations in the international Muay Thai circuit. A four-time kickboxing and Muay Thai champ, having held the prestigious WAKO and WMC belts, he has faced many elite champions and has competed extensively against Thailand’s most talented fighters. Watson defeated Mustapha Haida in his November GLORY debut.

More fighters will be announced as the card is lined up. Tickets are set to go on sale starting in December with the price and vendors to be announced.